"Let him who desires peace prepare for war." Flavius Vegetius Renatus, De Rei Militari
Peace
For all intents and purposes, becoming the Brennans was one of the best things that could've happened to Max and Ruth. It gave Kyle and Joy- as Russ and Tempe- the chance to do everything from Little League to 4H, at the same time protecting them from the Keenans' past.
Ruth enjoyed working as a bookkeeper while the kids were in school and being there for them when they got home. She chuckled as she watched bits of Max and herself come out in their children and did her best to guide Tempe; whose genius-level IQ often left the young girl feeling socially adrift. It was Ruth who petitioned the school not to push her daughter ahead several grades, but rather allow her to remain with kids her own age while Max and Ruth provided the extra enrichment she needed at home.
For his part, Max- with teaching credentials that were every bit as phony as the rest of his identity- discovered he had a gift for it, and found that he got just as much of a thrill from it as he had from his con-man days. After dealing with McVicker and his crowd, staring down a room full of snot-nosed teenagers who didn't want to be in his science classes was nothing.
Slowly but surely, Max and Ruth Keenan faded into the past as Matthew and Christine Brennan emerged in their place.
But soap bubbles eventually burst and illusions fade as quickly as they are contrived. All it took was one last-minute Christmas trip to the mall for the tranquility that had surrounded them for so long to evaporate; and as the couple fled, leaving their children behind for the time being, Max wondered what price would be exacted to put everything back together again.
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